The trend for marketing agencies to use software development companies to fulfill the web development needs of their clients is growing, but what is driving this shift away from the internal web design department and what are the benefits of this move towards white label web development?

When marketing agencies added web development to their creative services the web was young, html was in its infancy, Internet connection speeds were painfully slow, and clients were happy to just have a presence on the new stage; the marketing agency had a new toy, and the web design department was born. Marketing agencies embraced this new medium, not only as an additional revenue channel but also as an essential element of an integrated marketing solution, and there was prestige in doing it all in-house.

And then the web grew up; the traditional problems of speed, reliability, technological constraints had all but disappeared, and the possibilities were only limited by the creative ideas and concepts the agencies could generate. It wasn’t just the technology that came of age; the client’s knowledge of this media also grew – exponentially. Suddenly the lines between a website and web application were not so clear. Clients now found themselves locked in a constant arms race, jostling for search engine position, and to do this they needed much more than just information-based websites.

To persuade their customers to engage with their brands, to become loyal fans and to keep coming back for more wasn’t just a question of navigation but of interaction; the complete online experience fussed with brand awareness social media, and connectivity has become an invaluable asset.

As a consequence of the recession, budgets have inevitably been squeezed, ROI is now a staple requirement of any online strategy, and statistics are needed to prove it. But, to get more from their investments, clients are now looking at integration into existing applications, databases that automatically handle their data, in-depth reporting and justification, and providing their customers with online applications. In a nutshell, the client’s requirements have outgrown the technical expertise of most marketing agencies, and it’s not the fault of the agencies; it’s that clients’ requirements are becoming more diverse.

So why now the move away from the internal web design department? Well, first and foremost it’s about cost; to set up and run a web development department with the technical expertise of a software company takes considerable time and money – and you are not always guaranteed that you can cope with the requirements of each project as the technical expertise required may be very specialised indeed, for example, online sales incentives that have automated integration with a back end database have a different set of skills required to complex web to print (vdp) systems.

The benefits

But it would be unfair to claim that it’s just the raw economics that are the driving force behind the move; it’s also about marketing agencies delivering innovative solutions to their clients, client retention, and keeping competitive advantage with access to skilled individuals without the need to chase technology.

Not always a perfect harmony

But it isn’t easy for all. Some marketing agencies are finding the transition thorny, web development times are traditionally longer than basic information website builds, account managers are constantly trying to catch up with the capabilities of the technologies and, as a consequence, project timescales and costs are not as clear as they were. Combined with a more complex implementation this can make the whole experience an uncomfortable one.

Finding the right white label software partner

A good white label development company partner needs to be tuned into the workings of a marketing agency. They must be proficient in delivering at speed with the quality in output that the agency’s reputations are built upon, and have a wide breadth of experience dealing with marketing data integration projects. They must also understand how brands transpose to the web, the importance of pixel perfect delivery and that even simple forms must embody the brand experience. So, as the client’s needs become more diverse and technically challenging, marketing agencies are embracing the skills of traditional software companies. This doesn’t mean the death of the internal web department but a welcome and beneficial addition to it.

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With the growing prominence of web development service, Hypertext Preprocessor or PHP has flared its dominance. This general purpose programming language is widely used for developing dynamic websites. Owing to several benefits of PHP, it is used in more than 20 million websites and finds application in more than a million of web servers. Custom web development is easier with PHP, and the language is available with a number of open source development such as OS Commerce, Zen Cart, Magneto, Joomla, WordPress and many more. PHP Website Development services to create dynamic webpages and various other web solutions such as web calendars, shopping cards, CMS and more. Due to the fact that PHP language has an inbuilt memory optimization, it never overloads the servers, rather enhance the processing speed of the servers.

PHP can be easily embedded into HTML and dynamic visual applications like Flash, Ajax can be easily integrated with PHP. This accounts for further popularity of PHP Web development service. Support to several databases like Oracle, Informix, MySQL etc. also makes PHP the most used programming language. A PHP developed website requires less code usage and boast a memory building option of its own. Gathering outside object codes is very rare in PHP based applications.

Today, most of the business houses opt for PHP Website Development as it helps to cut down both the time as well as the effort of creating an attractive website. PHP is compatible with all the operating system and can also be used to make client-side GUI applications and command-line scripting.

PHP Website Development is fast, free and stable and guarantees secure interface. A PHP based application is easy to work upon. Hardly any external plug-ins are required to run programme, rather, can be executed wholly by the server, requiring nothing from the end users.

The scripting language can be easily integrated in various dynamic visual applications such as Flash and Ajax and the PHP library allows creation of some beautiful graphical effects. Furthermore, PHP website development is cost effective. PHP is available free of cost (under PHP General Public License)

Another superb benefit of using PHP for developing web application is that in case of any query or help, a developer can always seek the assistance in the online forum. The language is simple and easy to understand and troubleshooting in PHP web development is pretty easier.

PHP web development service undoubtedly has introduced the simplest means of creating attractive and user friendly websites. Through PHP programming, a site can be made vibrant and impressive. PHP programming helps in building SEO friendly sites. PHP written scripts enable to keep a track of the target visitor’s activities. The webmasters can obtain feedback from customers as well. PHP helps in active content management system with all ease and convenience.

So, if you have been looking to build your website that will outclass everything in terms of programming, design, user friendliness and PHP web development is your ultimate option. Understand the exact requirements in the best way and endow the responsibility on a professional web development company to prosper in your venture.

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Chris, a small business owner, needs a web site for his new business. He does a few Google searches and comes up with a company in a different state and finds a “Gold Package” that seems to cover everything he wants for his web site. The price is less than half of what he thinks a local developer would charge (though he has never checked) and the web site of the company looks nice, so he submits his credit card data pays for his new “Gold Package.”

He then sets about to describe in writing (the company only communicates through email) what he wants. After sending his design ideas and content, he waits. And he waits. Finally, a few weeks later, he finds all of his content placed in a web site template and is told his website is “done.” There is no custom design and the box-like web site template looks like thousands of web sites he has seen–in the early 2000s. There is no custom graphic design work, and his web site looks very old-fashioned.

When he contacts the company, they respond with a email saying that if he wants to upgrade his package, he can have a better web site. All the samples on the web site are from the “Diamond Package”, which, of course, is more expensive.

So, after tens of hours of work and a few thousand dollars spent, Chris has very little to show for his efforts. It also turns out that if he wants to keep the web site, he will have to pay high monthly hosting charges and he is not able to modify the web site without using the development company.

Chris has wasted his time and money.

What could Chris have done to save money, time and get a great web site?
1. Chris’ first mistake was not to check for local web designers. Almost every community is served by at least a handful of local web designer. He could have met with a few local designers, checked out their references and received price quotes from them.

There are several advantage to local sourcing. The most important is responsibility. A local developer is much less likely to take on projects she can’t complete, because failure to complete a project will subject her to spending a lot of time in small claims court. An out-of-state developer, or worse yet, an out-of-country developer is unlikely to feel the same legal responsibility. Furthermore, a local developer is most likely well-aware of the value of referrals and developing a network of references. Finally, a local developer will be able to communicate face-to-face–an invaluable option when talking about design-related issues.

2. Chris also would have been wise to ask the online company a lot of questions. How much would the XYZ web site in their portfolio cost? Can I have the phone contact information for some of your clients? How many revisions am I allowed? Can I have the web site hosted on my server of choice? Does the price quote include setting up email accounts, changing the nameserver information, setting up the server, a grace period for changing typos?

3. While it’s a matter of great discussion in the web developer world, a client should not be expected to make more than a 50% deposit. No reputable web developer would accept less (except, perhaps from established clients), but to demand 75%-90% before any work is begun should raise some red flags.

4. Examine the web design contract closely. If there is no contract, find another developer.

5. Don’t base a web design project solely on cost. A good web site should represent a business well for a few years (or more). Look at the total costs, including the cost of your time, when determining the cost of a project. Also consider the risk of losing everything if your developer is out of state or in another country. If you can’t meet with the designer and have to describe everything in email, your time costs will be much higher. A poorly designed web site might not be of any use to your business.

Unfortunately, web design businesses can appear and disappear as fast as it takes to set up and turn off a web site. A smart business person will look at the all the risks and costs in the web design process.

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